Deceptively deep
GOUTAM GHOSH
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These are short and well-written introductions to various subjects.
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Shakespeare: A Very Short Introduction, Germaine Greer,
OUP, p.158, Rs. 150.
THERE is something inexplicably pleasant in a short, well-written book. It keeps you rooted till the last page. Each volume in the "Very Short Introduction" series published by Oxford University Press is indeed short but deceptively deep. In roughly 150 pages, the authors (some titles are written by single authors) offer a bird's eye view and take the reader up to the field's edge. The reader gets a taste of the controversies, the research and where the future is likely to be. With ample references and a fairly loaded "Further Reading" list, the reader couldn't ask for more.
Schizophrenia, written by Christopher Frith and Eve Johnstone, has eight chapters of guided tour highlighting how the diagnosis evolved together with the ways the afflicted were handled. The case studies offer a peek into the painful world of schizophrenics — how the world crumbles as the disease progresses.
Visual relief
The illustrations — reproduced drawings by the afflicted and others — add the crucial visual component which add spice to the analysis and approach. The final words by the authors — "The disorder that causes schizophrenia lies precisely in that region where brain and mind interact. It is not surprising that the basis of schizophrenia is proving so difficult to discover" — capture the groping-in-the-dark that still marks how well the disease is understood.
Shakespeare, written by Germaine Greer, is a short volume with many illustrations. The writer takes the reader through a journey that is no less exciting than visiting Shakespeare's house on Stratford-upon-Avon. Greer's one sentence — "As long as Shakepeare remains central to English cultural life, it will retain the values which make it unique in the world, namely tolerance, pluralism, the talent for viable compromise, and a profound commitment to that most wasteful form of social organisation, democracy" — provide enough food for thought, and the suggested readings promise a keen reader an exciting journey into the Shakespearean world.
There are 108 titles on offer now, with the promise of another 42 soon. And maybe the remaining three titles of the set available elsewhere in the world will be added not long after. The price, of course, makes a difference. Whereas each title is seven pounds sterling (and equivalent elsewhere), it is Rs.150 here. Or roughly quarter the international price.
Good stuff, cheap. What more could you ask for?
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